How to Manage Anxiety

How to Manage Anxiety

Have you ever had the feeling of being completely overwhelmed, stressed out, worried, or fearful about something?

All four of these can lead to anxiety, which can negatively affect your overall health. Anxiety can interfere with your everyday activities, social life, relationships, or work.

If you feel like you experience anxiety, there are steps that you can take to help identify and manage it so that it does not become overwhelming.

Here are some strategies you can use to help manage anxiety.

Identify Trigger Points

When experiencing anxiety and creating ways to manage it, one of the first steps you can take is identifying triggers. Discover the reasons as to why you are feeling stressed or anxious.

Ask yourself some questions to help determine what areas trigger you:

  • What situations cause me stress?
  • Are there specific actions that increase my anxiety?
  • Do I feel anxious in certain places?

Another excellent way to identify or track what triggers your anxiety is to keep a journal. Write down when you are feeling anxious and what caused the anxiety in that moment.

Once identify your triggers for anxiety, you can begin developing and implementing strategies to help you manage it when these situations arise.

Implement Healthy Lifestyle Choices

An effective way to manage anxiety is to implement healthy lifestyle choices. There are various opportunities within your lifestyle that you can change or adjust to help with anxiety, such as:

  • Stay Active: Physical activity is a powerful stress reducer. Get into a routine of implementing daily physical activities to help improve your mood and keep you healthy.
  • Eat Healthy: A healthy eating plan can help reduce anxiety levels. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as other healthy food options.
  • Get Rest: Make sure you get enough rest daily and stay consistent with your wake-up times.
  • Avoid These Items: To help manage and reduce anxiety, avoid alcohol, recreational drugs, smoking, and limit your caffeine intake. These substances have been known to worsen anxiety.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and making healthy choices can significantly impact your stress and help with managing your anxiety.

Use Calming Strategies

If you feel yourself getting stressed or your anxiety levels are beginning to increase, use calming strategies to help manage your anxiety before it becomes overwhelming. Here are some great strategies you can implement to help manage anxiety:

  • Deep Breathing: If you feel that you are becoming anxious, pause what you are doing and start to implement deep breathing techniques. Breathe in slowly for a three count and then breathe out, slowly releasing your anxiety. Repeat these for five to ten breaths to help you calm down.
  • Meditation or Yoga: Consider joining a Yoga class or setting aside a time during the day or evening for you to meditate. These are effective relaxation techniques to help ease and calm your mind.
  • Self-Talk: Being in a situation that causes anxiety can affect how you feel and think. Take a moment and talk through the situation. Identify what is negatively affecting you and try to talk through an alternative that you can do instead.
  • Write Down Your Worries: Anxiety can be caused by worrying. If you have things on your mind that you worry about constantly, write them down. Sometimes writing your worries down helps you visualize a solution to your worry.

Socialize with Others

Anxiety can make you not want to be around others and isolate yourself, affecting your social life.

Socializing and spending time with friends and loved ones doing things that you enjoy can help reduce anxiety. You can also talk with others who are going through a similar situation. Sharing your experiences and discussing anxiety-management strategies can go a long way in helping your anxiety levels!

Ask for Help

If you have anxiety, you are not alone. Anxiety comes in many forms and can affect people at different points in their life.

Our leadership and capacity building team at Our Turning Point is here to support you and help you learn strategies to overcome anxiety. We focus on capacity building for conflict resolution to help you get your life back.

If you are in the Minneapolis, Minnesota region and are experiencing high stress or anxiety levels, contact us as we are here to help!

Let’s work together to help you manage anxiety!